The Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) Program at the University of Colorado Cancer Center recently announced that seven cancer research trainees and junior faculty are the recipients of this year’s Cancer Innovation Pilot Grants.
This grant program provides $10,000 in research funding per recipient to support the career development of predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees and early career faculty. Pilot grants are awarded through a competitive peer-review evaluation process, similar to National Institutes of Health grants. Each recipient will be mentored by a member of the CU Cancer Center.
Dr. Eduardo Dávila, Deputy Director of CRTEC’s Cancer Center, said the pilot grants are “aimed at supporting recipients with high-risk, high-reward projects, and we are committed to supporting any projects they propose.” Even if it contributes to a grant, such as a manuscript or a presentation, this initiative is intended to help guide recipients through the process of preparing an NIH-style grant. Masu.”
This year we received a record number of grant applications. CRTEC partnered with the CU Cancer Center’s Community Outreach & Engagement (COE) and Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA), and the Tumor-Host Interaction (THI) Program to provide five Sponsored two additional awards from .
Supporting pioneering research
“The primary purpose of the Cancer Innovation Pilot Grant is to support the career development of CU Cancer Center trainees and junior faculty by providing funding to support innovative research projects that open new avenues of research. ,” said Dr. Dávila and Dr. Adela Cotagomez. The cancer center’s deputy director for education administration said in a joint statement. “This addresses CRTEC’s vision and mission on two fronts: first, by fostering the education and training of the next generation of cancer scientists; and second, by fostering innovation in cancer treatment. By sponsoring pioneering research that can lead to breakthroughs.”
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So far, Davila said, the pilot grant program has yielded “impressive results with several times the return on investment and the dissemination of research results through national, regional and local presentations and publications.” Cotagomez said.
This year’s Cancer Innovation Pilot Grant recipients, CU Cancer Center leaders, and their project titles are:
Award Winner: Dr. Jocelyn Cruz Cruz
Mentor: Michael Varnelis, MD
Project title: Improving CAR-T cell homing within the pediatric sarcoma tumor microenvironment
Award Winner: Kellen Gill, MD
Mentor: Maria Amaya, MD, PhD
Project title: Role of VDAC1 in energy metabolism and apoptosis of leukemia stem cells
Award Winner: Irene Liang, B.S.
Mentor: Dr. Jamie Stutz
Project Title: Perspectives on Lung Cancer Screening in Sexual Minority Communities
(Award co-sponsored by COE and DEIA)
Award Winner: Dr. Johannes Menzel
Mentor: Dr. James DeGregori
Project title: Understanding myeloid differentiation-related autophagy and treatment resistance in AML
(Award co-sponsored by CRTEC and THI)
Award Winner: Varuna Nangia, B.S.
Mentor: Dr. Sabrina Spencer
Project title: Investigation of rapid drug adaptation to MAPKi in melanoma
Award Winner: Dr. Joseph Sotnik
Mentor: Dr. Matthew Sikora
Project title: Development and characterization of a spontaneous ER+ bone metastasis model of invasive lobular carcinoma
Award Winner: Rachel Steinmetz, B.S.
Mentor: Dr. Tracy Lyons
Project title: Investigating the possibility of overcoming fulvestrant resistance in ER+ breast cancer using anti-semaphorin 7a therapy
Top photo: This year’s Cancer Innovation Pilot Grant recipients. Top row, left to right: Dr. Jocelyn Cruz-Cruz; Kellen Gill, MD. Irene Liang, Bachelor of Science; Dr. Johannes Menzel. Bottom row, left to right: Varuna Nangia, BS; Dr. Joseph Sotnik; Rachel Steinmetz, BS.
